Mortal Remains
by Vatrel
Summary: As Ichimaru Gin and Matsumoto Rangiku try to survive the ordeals and endeavors in the poorest part of Rukongai, their friendship is brutally tested. Cuteness involved.


**Disclaimer: I do not pwn BLEACH.**

_**Note that I do not live in an English speaking country and I may or may not have problems with grammar and/or spelling. Just let me know if I'm wrong anywhere.**_

**ONE - The day we met**

_It's so cold. The chilly winds have grabbed hold of my throat. I'm suffocating. But I'm too weak to struggle. During all these years of growing up in this wicked hellhole, I've learned that no matter how hard you struggle, you will still end up dead under a rock somewhere._

Whenever I lay here on the rocky ground, shivering from the biting cold and hurting from the unbearable starvation, these thoughts always manage to make their way into my vulnerable mind. But whenever they do, his soothing voice always makes me calm again.

"Rangiku." I hear him call my name, but it feels like his voice is echoing from far, far away. "Wake up, take a look at this!"

I try to sit up, but my whole body is aching from having to sleep on the rocks. It was something you just couldn't and didn't want to get used to.

"Gin", I reply, honouring his presence by calling out his name.

I want to tell him how worried I've been throughout the past two days. _Gin_, I would say, _you're always disappearing without a trace, showing up days or even weeks later like nothing's happened. Why, Gin, why?_ But I'm afraid. One day, he might never return.

I take a look at him from where I'm sitting. His face - such a proud expression, he probably got something nice - with those squinty, ice-coloured eyes and his characteristic ear to ear grin, his thin body, silver hair and the bony hands which is eagerly searching through the pockets of his filthy clothes. I can't help but to smile - we sure are ragged, but it feels like we belong together like this.

Finally, his hands have stopped searching. In Gin's palmns lie ten small coins - five for each of us. The guilt is immediately building up inside me. Maybe that's what took him two whole days - begging, stealing, whatever it was that made Gin earn this much must've been a diffcult ordeal.

I'm so glad, maybe we'll find something nice to eat! And maybe a blanket or two! I grab Gin by his hands and happily dance around with him. I can see his smile, but has never before occured to me what he's thinking behind that grinning face.

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I can feel the warm rays of the morning sun greet me as I wake up after a long night's sleep. I immediately reach out beside me before even turning my head. I can feel something warm - what a relief! It must be his hand. I reach out further. That's his chest, slowly moving up and down. I hear him breathe. He must still be asleep. _Gin, I'm so glad you stayed with me tonight_.

I quietly sit up, yawn and stretch a bit. My smile must be looking silly, but I'm in such a good mood today. I take a look at Gin. He's sleeping on the wooden floor of the abandoned house we sometimes use for ourselves. I should stay with him until he wakes up. Later we can go use some of the coins he got us.

Gin's silent breathing is actually quite calming. I giggle a little to myself. He's sleeping soundly. It's kinda cute.

I can see myself gently brushing away Gin's hair from his face, but it doesn't feel like I'm the one doing it, as if in a trance. My fingers happen to touch his forehead, and he wakes up. As his newly opened eyes are watching me, I can feel my face turning red with embarrassment.

He's watching me. I'm ashamed, I shouldn't have touched him like that. Maybe he's offended now. I wish he would stop looking at me like that.

"Good morning, Rangiku", he says with a friendly smile, yawning afterwards.

I let out a relieved sigh. I'm glad he's casual. I don't know what came over me.

"Are you ready?" I ask him.

Gin faces me with a wondering expression. "Ready for what?"

I lean towards him, smiling eagerly.

"Let's go buy some food, Gin!"

I can tell by the look in his face that he's keeping something from me - he's smiling so excitingly.

"What is it?" I ask him.

He slightly giggles and starts digging in his pockets. He fishes out his share of the money he showed me the other day.

"Reach out your hand", he says.

I'm not sure what he means, but I do as he tells me.

In my hands now lie five coins, Gin's whole share of the money. I've never been more surprised. I watch him with big eyes, and he's looking so proud, as if he's done something really good.

"Gin...?"

"It's your birthday", he quickly says before I'm given any time to ask him.

"My... birthday...?" I can feel my face flushing again. I'm so confused at the moment.

His warm smile reaches deep into my heart, as he takes me by my hands and gently closes the one holding the coins.

"You don't remember, Rangiku? It's the 29th of September. It's the day we met."

I can feel happiness building up inside me. He's giving this to me as a gift? Even though he must have worked hard to get them? It's not the gift itself that's making tears appear in my eyes, though. It's the wonderful gesture. The selfishness. Knowing that I'm not alone.

Before the tears become visible, I wrap my arms around the neck of my best friend and hug him gratefully. But a thought just crossed my mind.

"But..." I quickly let go of Gin. "What about you? Now you don't have--"

Gin raises one finger and holds it in front of my lips to make me quiet.

"Don't worry. I'll manage."

Again, the guilt comes flowing into me just by seeing that carefree smile of his.

"Gin..." My voice is so weak it's barely heard. "Oh, you didn't have to... You shouldn't have..." I can't help but to smile widely.

Gin grins even wider, looking completely proud of himself as a best friend.

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You know what? This is my first fic ever where I'm writing in this form. You know, the first person form. (Is it called the first person when you use "me, we, us" and such...? Screw you, I'm Swedish.)

In case you haven't noticed, it's from Rangiku's point of view. This fic will either end after the second or third part. It depends if I decide to write more.

Constructive reviews are highly appreciated, as always.


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